SmartAsset today released its annual study of the Best and Worst Cities for Women in Tech. The study evaluates 50 of the U.S.’ largest cities by looking at price-adjusted median income for women tech workers, gender pay disparity in the tech workforce, the share of the local tech workforce that are women, and other factors. 

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Among the study’s key findings: 

  • Tucson, Arizona lands at the No. 31 place in the rankings with women tech workers there earning a regionally-adjusted median income of $83,121 (94% of their male counterparts). Women comprise 26% of the Tucson tech workforce. 
  • Phoenix ranked No. 36. Women tech workers occupy 24% of local STEM jobs and earn $82,495, equivalent of 83.2% of their male counterparts.
  • Nationally, Bakersfield, California scored lowest, at No. 50. 

Women remain underrepresented in the tech sector. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, women make up “nearly half of the total U.S. workforce … [but] just 22.6% of the high tech workforce.” Opportunities for women in tech can vary considerably by location, and these differences shape access to jobs, career advancement and earning potential. In some places, women account for a larger share of tech workers, face narrower pay gaps and enjoy a stronger local labor market. In others, they may encounter a more challenging career environment.

SmartAsset evaluated data for 50 of the largest U.S. cities, assigning each a composite score based on four metrics: the pay gap between women and men in tech; women’s share of all tech workers; tech employment concentration, or tech workers as a share of the local workforce; and median earnings for women tech workers, adjusted for regional price differences. (The earnings adjustment accounts for local purchasing power, making salaries in higher- and lower-cost cities more comparable.)

Key Findings

  • San Jose is the No. 1 city for women in tech. More than one in 10 workers in San Jose are employed in the tech sector. Of these workers, 27.2% are women, earning an estimated median income of $167,223, or $143,918 after adjusting for regional price differences. However, despite ranking No. 1 overall, women tech workers in San Jose earn 80.5% of what men earn.
  • Detroit has the largest share of women in tech. Nearly four in 10 tech workers in Detroit, or 39.7%, are women, the greatest share in the study.
  • This southern city is the top-ranking location outside the West Coast. Atlanta, home to Calendly, Cox Enterprises and Equifax, ranks No. 4 overall. Approximately 6.5% of Atlanta’s labor force works in tech. Women make up 28.8% of those workers, and women’s median earnings equal 87.5% of men’s earnings.
  • Bakersfield has the largest pay disparity. Bakersfield, California, is not widely known as a tech hub, and just 1.9% of its workforce is employed in tech. Those jobs are concentrated in local IT firms and in technology roles at non-tech companies. Women tech workers there earn 65.5% as much as men, the largest pay disparity in the study.*

* In Bakersfield, the sample of women in tech is relatively small, so pay comparisons may be less precise than in other markets.